The Dream
by Deity-Falls-Entitled
Summary: Nothing was becoming everything, the game; endless nightmares. The darkness was my friend, and company ruled my true fears: Losing my brothers. Weakness leads to exposure and my heart breaking into two. The truth was that, deep down, I really needed them. We were a team. A true unit. (One-shot)


**Hi, I know when I was new to FF, I was bad, but I've advanced my writing skill and started on a new path.**

 **I got an idea for this because everybody has nightmares, even the toughest of the toughest, like Skipper. Penguins can have dreams and nightmares too.**

 **This is quite dark, so if you don't like dark stories, I wouldn't recommend that you continue reading.**

 **The Dream**

There was no light. No life. There was nothing. Only darkness surrounded me. Everything was still and silent. Nothing but dead and eerie silence rang in my ears. The only movement that made this death desert show any signs of life was mine. I was alone. Or was I? I couldn't tell.

I kept wandering; my feet touched what seemed like stone but was a black mist. The air was cold, but hot. It was a haze of murk streaming down my throat and into my lungs. I felt suffocated, although, I was still breathing. I inhaled the stuffiness of captives by name, hot and cold, before exhaling its freedom to the rest of this ibis.

This sandbox was endless and blank. My eyes were beginning to strain from squinting, my paranoid nature getting the better of me once again.

I stopped, listening out. Nothing was becoming everything. This was my current surrounding; darkness, the silence, lifelessness. It was only me.

Or so I thought. A loud bang, an explosion almost, bashed and echoed down into my ears. I cowered, the sound scrapping at my cochlea like a chalk against a black board. Once I regained my senses, I stood straight again, drawing my keen attention towards the recent noise. And what I saw made me raise my brow in confusion.

The plain darkness had vanished, leaving my eyes to shy away from the new color and detail. I opened them once they had adjusted, my beak gaping.

Now, I was in a lab, but it wasn't just a lab, it was a laboratory I was familiar with. The room was dim lighted and full of luminous chemicals, trapped in beakers. They were all different colors; pink, yellow, red, orange, green and blue. These chemicals were bright, stopping the room from becoming completely dark. Many broken or non-working gadgets were splayed across the floor or on work tables.

I scanned the room in confusion. I knew whose space this was now, it was Kowalski's laboratory. What was his lab doing in the middle of nowhere?

A shadow flickered in the glow of chemicals; tall and slim. My eyes focused on the figure working at one of the tables. His stature I recognized straight away. I listened in on the little noises clinking away in the room and my ears caught the deep mumbling of him.

I stepped forward, a smile coiling at my beak. At last, someone else I could trust to be my side.

"Kowalski, it's a good thing your here-" I greeted in deep relief, but stopped as I was interrupted by a sharp snap.

"What do you want now?!" He spat hatefully, turning sharply in my direction.

My eyes widened in pure shock due to that outburst. I had to step back as we were a little too close for comfort. Bravely, I dared to stare into the light eyes of my brother. But, something was wrong, I could sense it strongly. In his eyes was a deep fury that could not be masked. The way his body was tensing in anger. The glare of hatred that was aimed at me. This wasn't Kowalski, or even if it was, it wasn't natural for him to act this way.

I was shocked to the bone by the wicked death stare he was giving me. But, it didn't stop me from stepping forward again.

"What was that? What's wr-"

"Don't start lecturing me again!" Kowalski snapped, his tone so deep and threatening.

I raised my brow again, my muscles starting to tense in apprehension. Never had I seen Kowalski in this state, but I showed no fear. I was not threatened. I was just confused.

Kowalski growled, warning me to stay back like a dog with a bone. I did what he wanted without question. Kowalski was in no mood to be objectified. That I could see. He turned back to the table grudgingly with one last burning glare at me.

I narrowed my eyes questionably. I stared past Kowalski and through the dimness of light. He was working on a machine, a machine I couldn't make out. It was all fading but it seemed so clear. I crossed my flippers and focused my eyes to see what he was working on. But still, there was no detail I could pick out with my sharpened sight. This machine wasn't even starting to look like a machine anymore, all I could see was a black box. Worthless, was it not?

I took a step forward in curiosity. "What's that you're working on?" I asked, no tone shook my voice, it was just deep.

Kowalski turned back in a flash from the sound of my voice, the look he gave before had stained. It was a stain that could never wash out. Although, as our eyes met, I saw that the fury had deepened, not just into his eyes, but into his soul. I didn't back away. I showed no sign of weakness. I was his Commander. I held my ground, knowing there was nothing Kowalski could do.

Kowalski growled in my face. The growl was deep and was rumbling from his throat, before he blew like one of his inventions.

"Why should you care?!" He spat, it was so deep and threatening. "You never cared before, so why should you show any sign of interest now?!" He demanded.

I stepped back, bewildered by this new behavior. I was going to protest, but I never got a chance too. Kowalski continued, throwing his flippers in the air in utter rage.

"You never supported me in my own dreams!" He growled. "I've always wanted to be a great inventor, but you just threw my inspirations and hope to the floor and stomped on it!"

The anger in his voice tore through me with meaning. So much meaning it hurt. The force of his meaningful words was making me back away from him. But, I wasn't moving. I had no control of where I was going. I had no control over Kowalski at this moment. He was lost in a hurricane of loss and rage.

"I'll show you! I'll finally prove the great Skipper wrong!" Kowalski snarled, his eyes glinting.

I felt my back touch the wall. It was cold. It was the same coldness as the temperature in this room. I stared back at Kowalski just in time to see him march towards a beaker with green liquid contained inside. He grabbed it hastily and popped the cork off the beaker. My body stiffened and I reframed my eyes from blinking. I had no idea what that green liquid was and what it could do. Kowalski raised the beaker above his head and was about to pour it over himself.

Until, I smelt the strong sting of gas, flammable gas. And that's when I knew, what Kowalski was about to do, was dangerous. My eyes widened in tension. I shouted out but no sound came from my beak. I had no voice. I tried to move, but I couldn't. I was stuck.

But, it was too late. Kowalski poured the liquid over his head. The green waterfall covered him completely. And with one last smirk at me, his expression instantly changed from rage to pain.

Great flames surrounded him, they were tall and merciless. Orange, yellow and the strong tint of red mixed and blinded my eyes, making me look away. I had no choice. I could hear the sounds of panic coming from Kowalski, it was distressing.

Although, normally when there's a fire, the air becomes unbelievably hot, but it wasn't. The air was still cold around me. That was weird. After a short moment, I opened my eyes forcefully, but I wished I hadn't.

Kowalski was backing away from an incoming flame, but he was also heading towards another great flame behind him. He was trapped. I couldn't help him, but that didn't stop me from trying. I struggled to release myself from these invisible chains. But, it was no use. I couldn't break free.

The flames grew and roared viciously around Kowalski. I stared into his eyes, and I saw pure fear and regret. Until, the fire connected and engulfed Kowalski in its wall of flame. My feathers prickled and my breathing became raspy. I scanned the blaze for his distinctive form. I was unsuccessful.

I listened out, but all I heard was the crackling and roaring of the fire. I refused to blink or speak or even breathe. My heart was in my mouth. I lowered my head, everything was blank. Until, an agonized scream echoed down into my ears, alerting me once again. My head shot up in alert and I searched the roaring fire desperately for any sign of Kowalski. There was nothing, but spitting bright flames.

But, the screaming was continuous and was quite horrific to say the least. And of course I knew who it was; it could only have been Kowalski.

I surveyed the lab once again, and to my surprise, everything was fading. The dim lightening was turning pitch black. Kowalski's broken or non-working inventions were vanishing into the black mist. There were no tables anymore. There were just flames; tall and broad. The crackling of the fire and the unbearable screaming boomed down my ears.

I winced from the screeching. My stomach pounded in pain from shock and despair, although, it felt like I was being punched in the stomach about a thousand times. Nothing was becoming everything. I wasn't really there. Until, I felt a cold wind ruffle through my back feathers. My sight blurred as I toppled over backwards. And my back hit what seemed like stone.

The same silence rang in my ears again like a sharp buzz from a close explosion. I felt stunned. It didn't last long though. My eyes shot open and I leaned up in a flash. Everything had come back to me. Kowalski pouring the liquid over himself. The fire. My brother being burnt alive in the flames.

My eyes narrowed at the horror and realization of what had happened. The wall which I was leaning on had disappeared. I drew my sight onto the burning flames; its bright colors enlightened the nothingness around me. But, the most frightening thing about it was that, there was no screaming. No sound at all.

I stood, blindness and fear overcoming me. "Kowalski!" I screamed, pleading for a reply. No response came back.

The fire flared and struck out in front of me, and then extinguished into the black murk. Nothing was becoming everything.

I turned, scanning every single spot around me. There was nothing. There was only darkness. I felt stone tingle into my feet, but when I looked down, all I saw was a black mist. The stuffiness of hot and cold choked me once again, but I was still breathing.

I felt so shocked and lost. Where did Kowalski go? Why am I here in the first place? Why did I just witness that?

All these thoughts echoed in my mind. They never left. They were never forgotten. I had no answers.

I found myself start to amble the ibis again. My mind was empty. Although, there was one thought that repeated itself in my mind. Was this a dream or not? I couldn't tell; it just felt so real.

I stopped as something had caught my eye. I raised my brow, before beholding my sight onto the object in question. Mine's were appearing everywhere in front of me. They were land mines. They were brown of color, but had a bright appearance. I inspected the whole black scenario; the land mines were as far as the eye could see. But, as I looked closer, I saw something else. It was standing in the middle of the mine field.

My eyes squinted to see what, or even who it was. It soon came into focus. My eyes widened once I recognized the figure. It was standing six meters away from me. The land mines blocked us from walking to each other, but from the looks of the figure, it was chained or roped to stay in place. It couldn't escape.

In the middle of the land mine was Rico. His head was down, but he was standing steadily. He seemed drained, or at least helpless. But, he wasn't hurt, which I was thankful for. My comrade was okay. I hoped so anyway.

I stepped forward, a smile at my beak. Although, there was something in the back of my mind that told me to be on my guard. And of course I was.

"Rico!" I shouted in relief, stepping forward.

At the sound of his name, Rico lifted his head up. My eyes widened and my beak gaped once I noticed something new about him. A cut had appeared on his throat, it was deep, but was no where near his vocal cords - they were already damaged anyway. Dark blood was pouring from the cut, matting his chest feathers. I stared, watching new cuts form everywhere on his body. The blood started to trickle and stain him, making his front appear patchy.

I stared, until I felt his eyes meet mine. We locked, studying each other. I saw his usual happiness that was always there when he looked at me, but it wasn't genuine. It was a relieved happiness. But, that wasn't the only feeling I got when I stared into his eyes. I could feel a call for help, stabbing at me like a knife.

I couldn't ignore it. I wouldn't ignore it.

I narrowed my eyes determinedly; I had to get to Rico. "Don't worry; I'm coming, just stay there!" I ordered.

Rico gave no response, not even a nod. I stared into his eyes and saw the trust he always had towards me. The loyalty. The trust. The love. It was all there, in his eyes.

Sighing, I analyzed the situation. My sharp sight plotted the land mine co-ordinates in my mind. I wondered what move I should execute. I didn't want to be blown up. I closed my eyes and composed myself. After a moment, my eyes flashed open, narrowed and determined. I had no doubt in myself. I had the skills and the compassion. I was physically fit. Nothing could go wrong.

I leapt up into the air, my landing was clear. I felt the cold air ruffle through my feathers. It stopped. I felt nothing. I opened my eyes and saw that I had made a clear landing. I touched no mines, although, I was pretty close to setting one off. I was an inch away from the brown demons. They basically carpeted the ground.

I kept my balance steady and strong, it wasn't hard for me to do so. I drew my attention up, and stared at a watching Rico. He was emotionless, but his eyes shone out in alert and worry. Why he looked worried I didn't know. I scanned the mines around me, they were very close. I also noticed that I was only three meters away from Rico, another jump like the recent one I performed; I could be at Rico's side.

Although, a fast beeping sound alerted me. My eyes widened down at a mine close beside me. Its light was beeping on and off. My breathing hitched in alarm, and I prepared myself for what was to come.

After a very short moment, the mine exploded. I heard nothing, but a ringing in my ears. I felt a strong force which blew me back, and the burning hotness the mine emitted. I smashed down onto my side back at the starting line. I leaned up to find my side was black with soot. My side throbbed in pain, but something mentally agonizing caught my attention.

An agonized scream bashed my ears once again, but it was deeper than Kowalski's. My sight flashed and stared towards Rico. He was screaming out in pain, and I soon found out why. A new cut was being formed; it was as if somebody who couldn't be seen was slicing Rico's body up in front of me. The gash appeared at Rico's side, long and deep. Blood began to stain his feathers even more. Rico stopped screaming and lowered his head once again.

My breathing was hitched. I was stuck in shock. I couldn't move. I couldn't feel. I could only stare.

I shook it off with all my might, and stood on point. My eyes were wide in shock and fear. "Rico!" I screamed, and stepped forward towards the mine field again.

Rico didn't lift his head this time. I had no idea what caused that to happen to him. Unless, my actions were reflecting on Rico. No. That couldn't have been the cause. But, I still had no analogies to prove it. I had no explanations at all.

After a moment, Rico lifted his head up, but he didn't stare at me. He was staring into the darkness beside him. I cocked my brow, and caught Rico's eye. I saw complete fear and helplessness spark in the blue of his iris. That was weird. Rico was generally fearless, but of course, not completely. He was strong too, but not at this moment.

Rico didn't leave where his attention was aimed at. He was frozen, his body didn't move at all. I followed where Rico was looking at. I saw nothing but endless miles of land mines and darkness. I was becoming confused. What was he looking at?

I shook it off and took a deep breath, taking a step forward towards the mines. I narrowed my eyes with determination. I was going to get to Rico, even if every single mine exploded from me trying.

My feet tapped at the stone under the black mist. Rico turned at me from the noise, his eyes huge with alert. I stopped, his gaze ripping through me with feeling. Our eyes locked again, and I was almost taken back. I saw extreme helplessness and fear, almost a cry for help.

I jumped slightly, a new noise breaking me out of our trance. It was beeping, out of sync beeping. Almost as if there wasn't just one alarm going off. I scanned the land mines in horror. Each one of the lights were flashing on and off, lighting the darkness in red dots. The beeping was becoming fast. It surrounded Rico in a sea of red beeps.

I knew what was going to happen. I couldn't bare to watch. I closed my eyes. I stepped back. I waited.

Boom!

Every single mine exploded and I could feel the strong impact they gave. It struck and bulleted itself at my body. But, I didn't fall. I felt like my feathers were burning and the forceful wind was circling me. I was in a hurricane of gun powder and furious feelings of loss.

I kept my eyes closed. I couldn't breath, but I didn't panic. I could feel the swirling hot wind curl at my feathers. After a few seconds, it started to die down. The wind was calm and cold now. I could breathe again, which was a relief as I exhaled a prolonged breath. Once I felt all the grit and debris from the explosion had stopped, I opened my eyes in a frantic state.

I flashed my eyes around me. I expected to see Rico and debris everywhere, but I saw nothing. Darkness had caved in on me once again. Nothing was becoming everything. I was in my very first surrounding again; darkness, the silence, lifelessness. It was beginning to toy with me.

I head was spinning in so much confusion and shock. Why was I seeing this?! Where did Rico and Kowalski go?! Were they dead? Is this just a dream? I still had no answers.

I hung my head, taking in many deep breaths to compose myself. I knew this wasn't over. It was just a feeling I had.

Suddenly, a light blinked on in front of me, a shadow stretched inside its glow. I lifted my head, my eyes narrowed in apprehension, although, it was more in curiosity as well. I raised my brow and stood tall at the new scene in front of me.

A spotlight was shining out of nowhere a few meters before me. It was bright, but not blinding. There was another familiar figure standing under the spotlight. It had its back to me, but I still knew who it was. Its head was down. Its body was tensing. Something was wrong.

I gulped and began to creep forward towards the figure. "Private?" I muttered. I got no response. "Private?" I repeated, louder this time. Still, no response.

He didn't flinch. He didn't move. He didn't acknowledge me. It was like he was a ghost of his former self. Or a statue. It just wasn't him at all.

I crept closer and closer, until I was right behind him. The edge of the spotlight shunned my feathers as they touched. But, I didn't care; I was too focused on Private to care. I studied him with every step. He was completely still and gloomy. I took in a deep breath and placed a flipper onto Private's shoulder. His muscles felt tense. His feathers were strained.

"Private?" I whispered. I got no reply.

I waited, and wondered, why was Private ignoring me?

Until, Private turned sharply at me, glaring at me straight in the eyes. I jumped and stumbled backwards at the grudging hast in Private's movement. I stared at him, and froze at what I saw. I became confused, and deeply burned by the difference in him.

Private glared at me. His beak was in a deep scowl, and he was growling under his breath. But, his eyes, they were biting through me. Although, the baby blue was not there. His irises were crimson and sore looking. Blood was forever filling them, until; they started to leak in red tears. They were burning through me. This definitely was not Private.

"Get away from me!" Private growled, taking a heavy step towards me out of anger. "I hate you, Skippa!"

I felt stunned and I froze. I tried to break out of it but I couldn't. Private growled and snarled at me. I felt so confused and shocked. I never thought Private would say that to me. Why would he say that to me? Well, he wouldn't. That just wasn't Private.

"I hate the military! It's stupid! Everything about it is stupid!" Private ranted, stomping towards me in anger. We were now face to face, our beaks almost touching. "You're stupid! You think you know everything but you don't!"

My beak gaped from the words spewing from Private's mouth. His eyes were burning through mine angrily. I knew what Private was saying was not true. Private did like being in my unit. He wanted to impress and make something of himself as a soldier in the military. That, I knew very well. He also looked up to me. We were brothers. But, to hear those words, it made my heart sting. Everything we've ever worked for was for nothing.

Private growled, but stared down at his feet. He went quiet. The growling died out. I was still frozen, waiting for what he would do or say next. But, nothing came. Instead, Private collapsed onto his side and hit the ground. My eyes widened, and I shook myself out of my frozen state. I knelled down to his aid frantically.

I shook Private's floppy side in worry. "Private?!" I called.

There was no response. There was no reaction.

I continued to shake him, but got nothing in return. And then to my despair, Private disappeared into nothingness. I became breathless and full of distress from everything I had witnessed. I fell to my knees and screamed out in despair.

"Private!"

I cowered, lost away in thought. What could I have done to deserve this? Why was this happening? Why did Kowalski have to be burned? Why was Rico blown up? Why did Private snap? Why was this happening? Nothing was making sense. My brothers were being tortured and changed for no reason.

After awhile, I brought my attention up. I was lost again in darkness. Even the spotlight had disappeared.

Nothing was becoming everything.

I stood in anger. My muscles flexed and my beak formed into a snarl. Somebody was doing this. But who, I didn't know. I had a feeling I was going to find out though.

"What the hell is going on?!" I demanded in rage. "Come on out and face me! Leave my men alone!" I shouted into the never ending darkness. My words were echoing back at me.

Although, I wasn't left unanswered for long. A cold familiar chuckle of a dolphin scolded my ears. It was coming from behind me. I turned, my eyes glaring. And what I saw stunned me. But, I didn't back away this time. I held my ground.

A dim light was turned on over head. In front of me, my brothers were stood in a line. They were unemotional, like statues, but they held pain and the look of death in them.

Kowalski was there, standing tall with a glare. I studied his body. He was completely black with singe, no white could be seen. His feathers were stubbed, and some were missing, probably because they had burned off. I stared into his light eyes, but I saw no emotion. I could see only dullness and pain. The glare he wore was aimed at me.

I moved my sight onto Rico, who was next to Kowalski. Instead of red and white patches, he was completely covered in blood. His feathers were matted from the blood clotting. Although, there was no departure of limbs, which I was thankful for. A puddle of blood was starting to build around his feet. I stared into his eyes, and he too, was glaring at me.

I moved onto Private. His eyes were still red and dripping in blood. I could see he was tense in hatred. His feathers were strained again. I brought myself to stare into his eyes, and he was glaring at me too.

They were all glaring. I was their aim.

My eyes began to strain through the darkness. Until, a tall grey familiar figure appeared from nowhere. The dark chuckle echoed down into my ear holes. It made me growl under my breath. I knew who that was. I stared up, and saw my nemesis tower over my unstable brothers.

"Hello, Skipper," he greeted, his voice steady.

I snarled. "Blowhole," I gritted through my beak. "What are you doing here?!" I demanded.

Dr. Blowhole smiled menacingly, before driving around my brothers on his segway and stopping. "Your useless without your team," he smirked down to me darkly.

I stepped forward, and growled. I was just about to leap at him, but they all disappeared in a matter of seconds. I stood in confusion after that. Anger was still circling my brain, but it was slowly retracting and was being replaced with nothing. I was left with nothing but my thoughts. They were blank. I couldn't think.

I was left alone in the darkness again. Nothing was becoming everything.

And then, I heard the distinctive sweet voice of Private tare through my subconscious state.

"Skippa," he called distantly. "Skippa," I heard it again.

I didn't move. I was stuck in a daze. Was this really a dream? Or was it real? I didn't know. I didn't want to know. I was afraid of the truth.

Private called again, and this time it pulled me from my state. His voice was loud. "Skippa."

Nothing had become everything...

...

I was awoken by the gentle flippers of Private's gripping my shoulders. I leaned up in a flash warily. My eyes shot open. I jumped slightly, before burying my head in my flippers and I groaned.

"Are you okay, Skippa?" He asked sweetly. I could feel him stroking my back delicately. "You looked like you were having a nightmare."

After a moment, I stared up. I was back in the HQ. The same old HQ I had been leaving in for years. I smiled at the sight, and stared up at an anxious Private. I stared over at a staring Kowalski and Rico; both of their brows were raised up at me. But, I smiled even wider than I ever have before.

They were all okay and safe. Kowalski wasn't singed. Rico wasn't covered in blood. And, Private's eyes were the same baby blue they always were. I could hear my heart beating in my chest in relief. They were all okay.

I soon shook myself out of my mindset, and cleared my throat. I could see they were all waiting for me to say something.

I stood to my feet, and glanced at each one of them before starting. "Kowalski, don't pour liquid over yourself, unless, of course, its water," I advised.

Kowalski raised his brow at me in total confusion. "Okay," he hesitantly agreed.

I moved onto Rico. "Rico, I don't want you playing with land mines anymore," I ordered.

"Awe man," Rico sighed, frowning in loss. He rested his head in his flippers grumpily.

I shook my head and turned to an awaiting Private. "And Private," I began. His eyes widened, shining in baby blue. They tore through me in a positive feeling. "Never wear red contact lenses."

Private raised his brow in confusion in response.

I shook it off, and walked over to the coffee machine. I needed a boost after all of that. I turned it on and waited for it to heat up. After a moment, the beeping alarmed me that it was done. I poured the coffee into a mug, I took a sip. I recalled everything about my dream. I was glad it was only a dream.

But, there was something about what Dr. Blowhole said. 'You're useless without your team'. I couldn't remove it from my mind. I guess he was right. I didn't want to believe it though. I had to face the truth even if I liked it or not.

I was not just only afraid of needles. I was afraid of losing my brothers. But, thankfully, it was only a dream...

Everything was becoming reality again...

 **Wow, that's long for a one-shot. I hoped you liked it. How did I do? Please R/R. Thank you. :)**


End file.
